Newsletter

Parking deck is back on commission's agenda

About 100 pages of documents related to a new downtown parking deck are back before the Augusta Commission for approval today.

The documents, item 49 on a 50-item agenda, include operating agreements, a bank release of a lien on land under the deck and a deed of the land from owner 933 Broad LLC to the Augusta Land Bank Authority.

The presence of a lien and the city’s lack of ownership of the land had created alarm among some commissioners and prompted a majority to call for an external forensic audit.

More recently, however, commissioners have raised concerns about the operating agreements and whether they generate enough cash for the city.

Commissioner Bill Lockett said a recent side-by-side comparison of parking-management plans was helpful but insufficient to win his support for the package.

Paul Simon, the president of 933 Broad LLC and Augusta Riverfront LLC, the firm seeking to manage the deck, will address the commission at the start of today’s meeting.

Both firms share management with Morris Communications Co., which owns The Augusta Chronicle.

When the documents went before the commission for the first time in June, Simon said he hoped all 10 commissioners would support them.

Until management agreements are in place, the deck will remain on a month-to-month contract with Augusta Riverfront.